The present invention relates to devices for attaching ornaments to the body of a vehicle, and more particularly to such devices which allow the ornament to pivot with respect to the hood when struck by an object.
Ornaments for motor vehicles can be fixedly attached to the hood. However this attachment technique has a drawback that when the hood ornament was struck by an object, the force was often great enough to break the ornament. To solve this problem, many hood ornaments today are attached by a mechanism which permits the ornament to pivot in a mounting when struck by unusual force. This allows the hood ornament assembly to yield under the striking force rather than break.
A common technique for pivotally mounting ornaments on motor vehicles involves attaching the hood ornament to one end of a spring which passes through an opening in the hood. The other end of the spring is fastened to a bracket on the under side of the hood. The spring remains in tension holding the ornament against the vehicle hood. Upon being struck by an object, the elasticity of the spring allows the ornament to pivot against the hood of the car. When the force is removed, the tension on the spring may automatically bring the ornament to its normal upright position. Alternatively, the ornament may remain against the hood of the vehicle until manually placed in its upright position.
Hood ornaments, especially those from expensive motor vehicles, are prized objects for thieves and vandals. The spring-held ornaments can be quickly removed from the vehicle by pulling the ornament upward to expose a portion of the spring, which then is cut to free the ornament.